Disability Ministers have announced their priorities for the year, intended to improve the lives of people with disability.
It was the first meeting of the Disability Reform Ministerial Council (DRMC) that reports directly to National Cabinet.
Ministers agreed to closing market gaps and ensuring access to quality and safe services, accessible communities, ensuring the NDIS and mainstream system work well together and delivering the NDIS Review.
Dylan Alcott was a guest at the meeting and shared reflections on his time as Australian of the Year.
“His work continues to put a national spotlight on disability rights and this year has been ground-breaking, from delivering the Get Skilled Access and Accenture NDIS 2.0 paper to launching the disability employment website The Field,” NDIS Minister Bill Shorten said.
The ministers also endorsed the report from the 2022 Australia’s Disability Strategy Forum, that gave people with disability the opportunity to discuss and shape the implementation of the strategy.
Minister for Social Services Amanda Rishworth said the government was focused on the many different ways the lives of people living with disability could be improved, from employment to the support frameworks for early childhood development.
The DRMC also discussed progress to reduce hospital discharge delays to 33 days, down from 160 days in early 2022; the failure to meeting the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety target to prevent young people entering aged care, and the need to work together across governments to tackle this issue; and agreed to accelerate a nationally consistent approach to regulatory settings around restrictive practices.
The next Disability Reform Ministerial Council will be held in March 2023.
The Council communiqué is available on the Department of Social Services website.